Increasing numbers of children who went through transgender drug therapy and even surgery have asked to be “de-transitioned.” Many of them cite being depressed, anxious and confused as young people or teens, then being encouraged that this meant they were experiencing “gender dysphoria” which could only be addressed through serious medical interventions. Those offering guidance, often trusted teachers, administrators or social workers, had a pipeline, beginning with transgender clubs, keeping secrets from parents and then finding medical professionals willing (eager?) to help children take these life-altering steps.
When this began, I found myself wondering? What might have happened to me if I had seen my teenage angst as a sign of something more serious? Back then, no one would have suggested radical transgender medical care (gender-affirming care?), but now, it seems to be the only help offered. Looking back over those years, I considered what doctors felt back in the not-that-distant past.
First, girls who preferred playing with boys, doing “boy” activities and dressing accordingly, weren’t seen as abnormal. We had a name for them—tomboys. Some grew out of it, and others grew up attracted to more male-oriented activities, such as auto repair. Boys who loathed football were teased, but these kids found their niche in art, music, chess and more. (If I had been a boy, I can see these activities preferable to being crushed in a football scrim.)
If allowing the definition of femininity or masculinity to be more flexible didn’t relieve the angst, therapy helped these kids understand what was really bothering them. Some had trouble accepting their parents’ divorce. Others were being bullied. Still others were impacted more severely by hormone shifts. There are myriad reasons why teens and even younger children can experience psychological distress.
Physiology Doesn’t Work Like This
The “explanation” for the increase in children feeling they are born into the wrong body is that we have suppressed these “needs” for years. But that doesn’t make sense. I have known transgender adults over the years and the number has held steady at about 0.5% of the population. Now, 1.4% of 13–17-year-olds, and 1.3% of 18–24-year-olds are identifying as transgender. Importantly, no less drastic interventions are tried before inflicting transgenderism on kids. Given that you can’t go back—you will be sterile, you will have complications from the drugs and you will never truly look like your original gender—shouldn’t there be more caution on the part of doctors? “First, do no harm.” What happened to that part of the Hippocratic Oath?
Can a child actually consent to this procedure? Informed consent means understanding all the pros and cans, not just for today, but for their future. A 12-year-old doesn’t usually want to have children, so being told they would be sterile is meaningless to them. Even if explained in some detail, the downstream effect of the drugs they have to take the rest of their lives is incomprehensible to them. Let’s not forget that Obama, in deciding the limits of parent-supplied health insurance, decided that the child was a child until age 26. Science demonstrates that a key part of the brain isn’t fully formed until then. Even parents may not be able to grasp the full impact of this “choice” and too many, scientifically illiterate, simply want their child to be happy. If they only knew that this “quick fix” doesn’t guarantee anything of the sort.
Politics, All the Time
WPATH (World Professional Association for Transgender Health) has recently been exposed by Environmental Progress as being primarily “consumer-driven and pseudoscientific,” as opposed to being evidence-based. The group also saw that they fostered “political activism”, not science. Environmental Progress, studying the data, recommended watchful waiting and support rather than surgery and drugs. As big as these problems seem to the young, they are not fatal. And transgender children often find their suicidal thoughts are as pervasive after surgery as before.
As this medical intervention is really ideology and not science at all, some countries are beginning to pass laws to limit medical intervention to adults, which makes sense. England’s National Health is limiting it and other countries in Europe are considering the wisdom of allowing it. 19 states have passed laws to protect children.
It's odd. We protect children; we need to. Even Libertarians restrict many rights to adults only. Children can’t sign contracts. In many cases, they aren’t held liable for even heinous crimes. Why is there a rush to change their physiology without trying other interventions first?
My belief is that there are people, like Bill Gates, who advocate for a serious reduction in the population. By making children infertile, you can lower the birth rate. But there have to be other reasons as well, so if you have knowledge or theories, please share them. It’s very hard for me to believe that doctors, who are smart and well-trained, are willing to participate in this butchery. Let me know what you think on my Substack site.
You have to ask how any rational person could support this. I heard Nadler comment recently that there aren’t any men on women’s sports teams. I’d love to see him take a lie detector test and see how he scores. We understand what he was implying. Young people want to have their own identity and unfortunately, whether they truly believe it or not, they’re willing to take a leap like this. And even worse, adults who know better, reinforce the notion by applauding their bravery. Woke ideology is not only ridiculous, it’s dangerous.